The insane thief and consulting madman
by DAWA
Summary: A girl of 8 years old  Parker  makes psychologists cry, and the government doesn't know what to do with her. Mycroft Holmes however directs her to his younger brother Sherlock, who is supposed to be just as insane as she is.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimers & Author Note: _

_ALL the AU. I do not own Leverage or Sherlock.  
><em>_I hope I have the characterization right because that's something I always worry about._

**Prologue: Sherlock, we have a problem**

_Ring, ring_

"Oh not now..."

Mycroft Holmes had a busy day, and knowing from the ringtone this was business. He checked his cell phone, almost expecting it to be Sherlock just to annoy him, but he hadn't seen the number before. It was American, according to the +1 in front of the number. Before the idea of just ignoring the call crossed his mind, he picked up.

"Hello, this is Mycroft Holmes."

"Yes mister Holmes, my name is Ronald Campbell, I'm from the orphanage of Chicago. I called you because we need your help." The man on the telephone sounded stressed. Not your average stressed, he had run out of ideas, maybe options, in America, and now needed help from England. But why an orphanage?

"We have a young girl at our care, but because she has been having problems with other people, we tried having tests done. However, none of the doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists we tried were able to finish the tests! The most renowned psychologists of America currently have a burn out, one even started crying during the test. This girl is... different. We think it's trauma but can't be sure. Most people think she's insane but she's so young... Do you think you have anyone in your country that would be able to help?"

That was one story. A young girl, getting all kinds of psychologists in a burn out? Actually quite interesting. However, if nobody in America could handle her, why would anyone in England be able to do so?

"I'm very sorry, mister Campbell," He said as honestly as he could. "But I'm afraid there's nobody that crosses my mind at the moment."

_Bleep, Bleep._

While the American was practically begging for him to find someone, Mycroft didn't bother to listen as he quickly checked his 'private' cell phone for the new message.

_Bored!_

_-SH_

Sherlock again. He won't ever stop bothering him... His little brother really needed something to...

"Hold on, mister Campbell. I might have an idea, but it's a shot in the dark and I'm not even sure if the man I'm suggesting will do it. He's... quite the remarkable man himself." If Sherlock was bored, this was something to do for him. "However, you will need someone to supervise while the test is going on. I'm sure you can find someone. I'll contact you as soon as I know more."

_Click._

He knew for sure this wasn't his best idea ever, but it was a way to keep him busy. A young girl stressing trained psychologists?

_I've got something for you. Not the usual case, actually just a kid.  
>Makes psychologists cry. Need to take a test. Text me if you're interested.<em>

_-MH_

It didn't take him long to receive a message.

_Boring, orphanage should handle it._

_-SH_

Wait, he wouldn't do it?

_Bleep, bleep_

Another message.

_Hold on, makes them cry?  
>Send her to Baker's Street.<em>

_-SH_

Mycroft directly called the man from the orphanage.

"Good news, he's accepted. Send the girl together with a caretaker to 221B Baker's Street, London."

_Click._

This Mycroft wanted to see.


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting the orphan

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

I am terribly sorry it took me this long to update, but I am always bad with getting inspiration for a good story. Here it is though, the official chapter 1! Enjoy!

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><p><em><strong>December 16<strong>__**th**__**: Another week wasted.**_

_This week went by really slowly. Sherlock hasn't been on a case for two weeks now, and you can see he's bored. I've tried getting him to do something like solve riddles in books, but he's too fast so the fun was over quickly. He does watch television often though. Letting him watch crime series was probably one of the worst mistakes in my life. The clever detective has always solved the cases before even half of the episode, which ruins it for the people who don't want to be spoiled of the ending (which is basically me)._

_We (Miss Hudson, Mycroft and I) have tried playing board games with Sherlock whenever he starts shooting the wall again (there's a pattern in it right now, looks like a leaf). Just yesterday we did a game of monopoly. It was a war between Mycroft and Sherlock, and since Mycroft had three streets already, and Sherlock only one, I made some trades with Sherlock to make sure he had two more full streets. I ended up having all the stations and both the waterworks and the electric company, but before any of us got bankrupt, Sherlock decided he didn't like it anymore (Mycroft was on the winning hand) and he just walked off and curled himself up on the couch._

_We need a case. Not just him, but I need it too. It's hard enough..._

John's daily blogging session got interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He didn't bother to see if Sherlock was going to get it, because by now, he knew full well that he would have to do it himself. On his way down, John noticed that his flatmate was watching tv again, looking quite frustrated at what was happening on there.

"Oh come on! Everybody knows he's not the killer! He was clubbing the night of the murder, don't you see he has a hangover? There must be about twenty people who can verify he was there!"

He was watching CSI. The mother of three kids had been murdered, and the first person who the team of detectives pointed at was her husband. But as always, Sherlock was the clever man, already knowing exactly who the killer was before the opening credits.

John walked downstairs and opened the door. In the doorstep stood, much to John's surprise, a little girl and a tall, slightly masculine man. They didn't seem to be family, which made the situation only stranger.

"We're here to see Sherlock Holmes. He was informed about our arrival," the man said in an American accent, which confused John. Usually, their clients were British, but then again, they could have moved in from America...

Never mind, they were here for Sherlock, which meant that he would be entertained for at least a few minutes. Hopefully more, though.

"Of course, he's upstairs in the living room. Can I get you two anything? Tea, coffee?"

"Orange juice." The girl was the first one to speak, but she didn't bother to look at John at all. The man shook his head, implying that he didn't want anything. John showed them to the living room and went to the kitchen to get some orange juice for the girl and some tea for himself and Sherlock.

As always, Sherlock had been right. The husband indeed wasn't the murderer. The episode was still half way in, but when Sherlock noticed the rather odd couple walking in, he immediately jumped up from his chair and turned off the tv.

"Ah! An orphan! How interesting!" He exclaimed, seeming quite exited about the situation. He glanced at the supervisor for a moment, noticing something strange about him, but quickly turned back to the girl.

"An orphan, judging from the lack of luggage it's a one day trip, you must be around 8 years old, American." Sherlock was babbling about, but before he could say anything else, the supervisor cut him off.

"Of course she is, you have been informed, right?" he said, sounding quite irritated.

"Oh no not at all. Mycroft knows I prefer finding out about my clients myself. Also he's quite lazy, didn't bother sending me more than 1 text. The thing is, I don't need anyone to tell me who you two are, because I can see it myself."

While Sherlock was explaining the situation, John came walking in with an orange juice and two cups of tea. He handed Sherlock his tea, mumbling 'please, not now' to him and put his own cup on the table. He walked over to the girl and crouched, so that he was on eye level with her and handed her the glass. "Here you go" he said with a smile, noticing she wasn't really comfortable. "What's your name?"

"Parker" she replied coldly, still avoiding looking at John. She took the glass from him and without asking for permission walked over to the nearest chair and sat down on it, her feet dangling above the ground. John looked at Sherlock and raised his eyebrows to get a message across. Sherlock replied to that with a slight nod, on which John gave up and started drinking from his tea, listening to what Sherlock was up to this time.

"Please, sit down. We wouldn't want you to be the only person still standing." John gestured to the nearest chair and when the supervisor sat down, Sherlock started talking again.

"So, an orphan. The only thing Mycroft has told me is that she makes psychologists cry, so I assume she's either aggressive or just has a different view of the world. Can be both though..."

The supervisor frowned, but just got along with all of it. "Yeah, right. The test that has to be done is the Thematic Apperception Test. It's a test in which…"

"in which Parker over here will be handed a picture and think of a story. Yes, I know about that test. Had quite some psych tests when I was a child." Sherlock had cut the man off, not wanting to waste any time. John laughed. "I'm sure you did…" he said, on which Sherlock answered with a sigh.

"I will most definitely be staying" John replied, looking around the room to everyone who was there. "I think at least one person with people skills will be appreciated. You know what, I'll take the test, Sherlock can write down what he notices."

Sherlock didn't agree with this.

"But you do know that I do all my research myself, and…" John didn't let Sherlock finish his sentence, as he pulled him to the hallway. He looked irritated at the detective.

"Yes, but she's not a dead body, and you can observe any detail when you're NOT asking the questions. I don't want her to get traumatized because you're too harsh!"

The way John raised his voice made Sherlock think for a moment. Then he sighed, already walking back to the living room. "Fine, but when I need extra information I want to be able to just ask her a question. I don't want to miss anything."

"Sure, okay… Whatever suits you. But if I think you're out of line, I'll cut you off."

Sherlock and John walked back in, John having an apologizing smile on his face. "Yes, sorry for that… Are we ready to begin?"


	3. Chapter 2: Tests and curiosity

_**Author Note:**_

_I hope everyone is enjoying reading this fanfiction! This chapter has a lot of crazy Parker, and a strange ending...  
>Please, if you like this, review! I love reading your reactions!<em>

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><p>Sherlock had cleared out the desk for once, placing the mess on his chair. The only things that were still on it were the map with the test, some pencils and Sherlock's laptop. Parker was already sitting on her chair, her orange juice on the table. She looked around, her eyes darting around the room. Sherlock noticed this habit, his eyes following everything Parker looked at. Why was she looking at random small items laying around the room? <em>Oh…<em> Sherlock thought. _A thief._ An orphan with a history of bad behaviour and a habit of stealing. This day was getting better with the minute.

John sat down and opened the map. He had been reading into the test while Sherlock was cleaning the place, so he knew what to do by now.

"So, Parker... Shall we begin?" Never having done this before, John doubted he would do any good. Then again, if Sherlock was in this position, they would have been off much worse. "I've got a few pictures for you. I'll show them for a minute, and in that minute you can think of a story in your head. However, you can't tell me yet. When I take the picture away, I want you to tell me what was happening on that picture, what is going to happen and what the people in the picture might be feeling. Do you understand?"

Parker simply nodded, her stuffed bunny doll in her right hand. John had hoped for a more elaborate reaction, and he had to remind himself that Parker was an orphan, and not likely to talk a lot unless she's told to. He looked into the map and took out the first picture. It had a horse on it in what seemed to be a circus of some sorts, and a man with a stick in his hand next to it.

When Parker was handed the picture she flinched. John saw Sherlock write down something in his notebook and grin. _Of course,_ he thought. _He already has a lot of information from one motion. That's his thing._

Meanwhile, what Sherlock had noticed as well, is that the supervisor had been awfully nosy. Judging from his stance, he was CIA, or at least had been at some point. And orphans aren't accompanied by the CIA, nor someone who used to work there, not even in a case like Parker's. The man was looking around the flat, smartphone in hand, and when he would catch Sherlock looking at him, he'd pretend to smile to get suspicion off him.

During the entire minute, Parker had been staring intensely at the picture, frowning. When the minute was over, John took the picture from her, and she had seemed almost relieved it was gone.

"Okay, Parker. Just start telling me a story about the picture. It can be anything, really, there are no wrong answers. I want you to talk for at least five minutes, but it can be longer, okay?" Parker nodded, and John looked on his watch for the time.

The first few seconds were silent, and John had the urge to ask Parker if she could continue, but before he got the chance Parker sat upright and answered.

"The horse is going to kill the man, who was supposed to feed him." That was all they got for a moment, and John got confused.

"Parker... Can you maybe make the story a bit longer? You're supposed to talk for a few minutes, and this has only been..." he looked at his watch again. "20 seconds."

At this comment, Parker shifted a bit uncomfortable on her chair, and John was afraid he had said something wrong.

"Well..." Parker said, hesitating to say anything. "The man had stolen the horse's money, and they got in a fight. But the horse was stronger, much stronger. So after he hit the man in the face a couple of times, the man stopped moving, but the horse didn't stop so he kept hitting him and there was blood everywhere and..."

"Okay, Parker, that's okay. That's enough." John decided to cut her off, since the story got a bit too... violent. At one point, John had looked over to the side to Sherlock, who was grinning widely and scribbling down stuff. One thing John had noticed without being as clever as Sherlock: Parker had at some point in her still quite short life experienced something rather traumatizing involving a horse. Either that, or she had a wild fantasy about murderous horses, which was unlikely.

It took John a moment before he spoke again. "Yes! Okay, very good, Parker. That was... a really interesting story." At this 'compliment', Parker smiled in content. "Okay... Do you want to take a break first before we continue with the next picture? I might refill that orange juice for you. Do you want a biscuit with it?"

Parker nodded smiling. For some strange reason she had opened up a bit after getting the compliment. John walked over to the kitchen to get something to drink and some biscuits for everyone, leaving Parker behind with Sherlock and the supervisor.

Sherlock noticed the supervisor was still nosing around the room, and when the supervisor looked back and noticed John wasn't around, he walked towards him.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself. My name is Erik James, I am Parker's supervisor. Tell me, Sherlock Holmes, I heard you were a private detective... What kind of cases do you work on?"

"_Consulting_ detective." Sherlock wanted to make that clear to 'Erik'. "And whatever is interesting enough to spend my time with, really." He didn't bother to say anything else. What was taking John so long anyway?

Not long afterwards for John got back with some more tea and orange juice, together with a plate of biscuits. He put everything down on the table where Parker was sitting, and the young girl immediately started grabbing a couple of biscuits, collecting them in what seemed to be a secret compartment of the stuffed doll.

Sherlock walked to John, and said in a hushed voice: "She's hoarding biscuits, that's something orphans do. The bunny is quite clever, clearly a sign of a thief."

John got a bit confused. "What, a thief? Have you seen her? She's eight years old..." But the stare Sherlock answered him with made John realize he made the same mistake as he did when he had first met the detective. "Right... Sure. A thief. Of course."

When Parker seemed done eating and collecting the cookies, John sat back, ready to give her the next picture and continue the test.

"So, Parker, let's do the next one. Same as before, I give you a picture, and you talk about what's happening in it for as long as you can, okay?" He took out a picture again, when Sherlock interrupted. He looked around, picking up things only to put them back on the same spot again. "The supervisor is gone... I just _knew_ there was something wrong with him!"

"And why did you think there was something wrong? I know he was very curious, but you were testing one of the orphans in his care, of course he wanted to know things!" John was confused by Sherlock's ideas. Then again, he wasn't often wrong.

"Erik, John!" John was again perplexed.

"What?"

"Oh, you normal people are all such idiots... It has proven that the way a name is spelled can adjust their common behavior!"

John shook his face, he still didn't know what Sherlock meant. Parker however did, and joined in on the conversation.

"Eric with a C, nice and friendly. Erik with a K, evil!"

_Beep, beep._

A text.

_Need you at Scotland Yard.  
>There's something fishy going on.<br>-Lestrade_

He didn't have to read this twice. Sherlock grabbed his coat and scarf and gestured to John to do the same. John only frowned.

"What? What are you up to?" He asked, wondering why Sherlock was so eager to leave all of a sudden.

"I just got a text from Lestrade, we've got a case. What are you waiting for? Let's go!" He had got to be kidding. Once again, the brilliant mind was too stupid to notice one very important detail.

"Sherlock, there is a young orphan here and her supervisor is gone. There is no way I'm taking her to a crime scene! Who knows what will happen to her?"

John had a point, and Sherlock gave up. "Fine, I'll go by myself. I'll text you when there's something interesting!" And with that, Sherlock was gone.

And also with that, John had no idea what to do. He had a girl in his care now who apparently had a couple of traumas behind her... How would he handle this?


	4. Chapter 3: How to pick a lock

_**Author note:**_

_This chapter just rolled out, I guess, so it's a pretty fast update!  
>I hope you enjoy the chapter, and remember to review, I'd really appreciate it! <em>

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><p><em><strong>December 16<strong>__**th**__** – The scarred orphan.**_

_Today, when I was attempting to write about how incredibly boring the past week has been, there was someone at the door. Actually two people, a young orphan of about eight years old and her supervisor. They told me they had to see Sherlock, which meant we had a new case. Apparently, the most renowned psychologists in the United States haven't been able to cope with the girl, so they searched for help in the UK. Mycroft then directed her to Sherlock, for a reason I have yet to figure out. Sherlock would have to do a couple of tests, so the orphanage would know how to help her._

_At first, I thought the girl was really shy, but when she freely took place in my chair without asking and started talking about the picture (which was slowly turning into a horror story, so I cut her off) I realized there was something else. Not sure what it is yet, although I can imagine Sherlock has figured it out already. Right when I wanted to continue the test (I was asking the questions, not wanting the girl to start crying herself) Sherlock got a text. Apparently there has been a murder, and Sherlock left, off to find the truth. But since the supervisor of the orphan has disappeared, I'm staying home to look after the girl. Currently she's playing with a padlock and I think some sort of hairpin._

**Publish.**

Hold on... A padlock and a hairpin? John decided to take a better look, and he saw that Parker was busy trying to pick the lock. Actually, not just trying, she was succeeding. Every single time she opened the lock in her hand, she looked at the clock. She was timing herself, seeing how fast she was.

John had learnt how to pick a lock while he was in military training, and it had saved his life multiple times. It probably wouldn't hurt teaching her a few tricks, right?

"How fast are you?" Parker got startled when she noticed John said something, last thing she knew was that he had been sitting behind his laptop, too lost in thought to pay any attention to her. She looked at the clock once more before answering.

"Usually around twenty seconds... But my record is 12." She looked a bit disappointed at this.

John smiled kindly, and gestured to hand the lock and the pin to him. Parker did so, and John looked at the clock and started. After a small 10 seconds the lock was open and he handed it back to a very surprised Parker.

"How did you..." she was too perplexed to form a proper sentence, so she just stared at John, wondering how the hell he had opened that lock so quickly.

"The trick is not to try to rush it. If you try to force the lock open it will only take longer. Locks are like people, you have to be patient and..." he looked for a nice word to summarize this. "fiddly."

Parker stared at him in disbelief, and John moved his chair so he was sitting next to the girl. "Here, let me show you." He put the pin in the lock and tried to shove it around a bit. Nothing moved. "I'm being awfully hasty here, and it's not moving. Now if I am more patient..." John showed Parker how he, not forcing the lock, got it open much faster. He handed the lock and pin back to Parker. "Now you try."

Frowning, Parker took the lock and pin and tried again. At first, it was like she forgot what John had said, and tried to open it the way she always did. After a few seconds, she stopped forcing it, and it got open in only 11 seconds. She smiled at John when she noticed how fast she had been, and John replied with a smile in return.

"You really have a talent for this, Parker! That's really fast, especially for your age." John was dumbfounded by the talent Parker had for lockpicking. No child of this age would be this good if it's just for hobby...

"How do you know how to pick a lock in the first place?" After this, John could see Parker closing up a bit again. Note to self: don't try to figure out her past, just go with the present. He felt a bit sorry for the girl. Stuck in foster care, that didn't always go well. And with her so called 'behavioural problems', she wasn't first in line to be adopted. A life like hers must be hard.

With a concerned look on his face, John put his hand on Parker's shoulder, trying to give her some support. At first, she flinched a bit, but she started to trust John, and relaxed after a few seconds.

"Care to try again?" John asked her, pointing at the lock. Parker nodded, and started picking the lock again.

While Parker was busy practicing, John decided he would try to get in contact with Sherlock. The detective had been away for a while now, and John started to wonder if anything had happened. He got his phone and started to type.

_How's the investigation going? Anything good?  
>Parker is a natural at lockpicking, you would be surprised.<em>

_-JW_

_Send._

John looked back at Parker, who was opening the lock with relative ease. He noticed what kind of padlock it was, and realized he had a heavier one laying around somewhere. He started searching through cabinets, he knew he had left it somewhere. While searching, John noticed the knife was taken from the cluedo board, and was nowhere to be found. It had been there this morning...

He remembered why he was searching the cabinets, and he quickly found the padlock, which he handed to Parker.

"Here you go. This one's a bit trickier, practice with this one." Parker eagerly took the padlock and started practicing again. The fact that it was harder frustrated her, but eventually she got the hang of it again. She was having a lot of fun, and John was glad he could help her in any way.

However, after twenty minutes, John got a bit worried. Sherlock had always been really quick to text back, unless he couldn't. He decided to call Lestrade, to find out what was going on.

"Detective Inspector Lestrade from Scotland Yard, how can I help you?"

"Greg, hey, John here. I was wondering where Sherlock's at, since he left off without me and I haven't heard of him since."

Lestrade sounded a bit confused.

"You haven't heard? He's been taken in. They're suspecting him of murder."

What? Sherlock is a suspect? That can't be good.

"Hold on, don't do anything." Sherlock couldn't have murdered someone. He wouldn't. "I'll be right there."

_Click._

John put his jacket on and got Parker's jacket from the hallway. "We're going out for a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

Parker just looked up and shook her head while she walked over to him. John handed her the jacket and she put it on.

"Where are we going?" she asked, a bit confused. John replied with a smile and took her hand in his.

"A small trip to the police station. Nothing much, I just need to talk to a friend of mine." He turned around, but quickly realized that Mrs. Hudson was out for the weekend. He turned back to Parker and opened the door, walking to the street where he got a cab.

Sherlock wouldn't have murdered someone, right? He wouldn't have. But why did Scotland Yard take him in? Something's wrong.


	5. Chapter 4: Bit of a mess

_Author note at the end of the chapter!_

Once inside, John practically jogged over to Lestrade's office, Parker following him closely. John had noticed Parker wasn't really comfortable around here –she might have been arrested at some point in her life- but he didn't have time to ask her. At least, that's how it felt like. Because every second Sherlock was in custody, John grew more and more concerned.

Looking into the office, he saw Lestrade sitting at his desk, busy with something which seemed to be paperwork. He looked focused and hadn't known anyone was there until John spoke.

"Where is he?" John asked impatiently. Lestrade looked up and smiled a bit.

"Oh hello, John. He's in questioning now... Not sure how that's going, I'm not allowed in."

Of course not. Lestrade was a friend of Sherlock and unable to give an 'objective' view of the situation. Then again, if Sherlock was in one of his moods again, the person questioning him would just want him to go to jail, even if it's because he's just terribly rude.

John sat down in a chair in the office, looking at the files Lestrade had spread on his desk before asking another question.

"Why is he a suspect in the first case? You can tell me some facts about the murder, right?"

Lestrade hesitated for a moment. If it was true that Sherlock had committed a murder and John knew about it, or even helped him, it would be a really bad idea to give him any information. Then again, Lestrade trusted John more than anyone (because how brilliant Sherlock might be, he's not all that trustworthy), and he knew John was a horrible actor. There was no way he was lying right now.

"Well... The murder took place around 2 in the afternoon. " Lestrade started. John wanted to interrupt already but didn't. "A man, age 36 found dead in an alley five miles from here. Multiple stabbing wounds to the chest, causing punctured lungs. Didn't look like a professional hit..."

Lestrade stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. John was about to say something when he continued his explanation.

"... and the knife used had Sherlock's fingerprints on it."

John was taken aback. Sherlock, murdering people? The thing Donovan had told him came to his mind. 'One day, we'll be standing around a body, and Sherlock Holmes will be the one who put it there.' John shook his head. No, it couldn't be. There had to be a way to know...

"The time of death. You said the time of death was around 2." Lestrade frowned at John's comment.

"Yes... So?"

"So, Sherlock had a client at that time. A young orphan who needed a psychology test. I took her along, she was..." but when John looked to his side, Parker was gone. He panicked a bit. He had promised to take care of her after all, and she just vanished. Lestrade looked confused at John. What did he mean?

Suddenly, both men heard someone yell 'GIVE THAT BACK' and a loud shriek could be heard. John jumped up and sprinted over, only to find out Parker was surrounded by three agents who didn't look too happy. Among them was Sally Donovan.

When Donovan noticed John, she looked up and gave him a frown.

"Will you help? She stole my gun, and whenever I walk to get it back she'll back away again. There's not talking some sense into her either" she said while pointing at the orphan. John sighed and walked over to Parker, who looked scared to death being surrounded by strangers. He crouched, so he was at eyelevel with her and gestured to Parker to hand the gun over to him.

"Come on, it's okay." He noticed the hesitant look in her eyes and smiled a bit. "They're the police, they're supposed to have guns with them. Don't worry, they're no idiots… Or well, they are, but then again aren't we all?"

Parker handed the gun to John, who gave it back to Donovan. Donovan was frowning, surprised by what she had just seen. The girl had just stolen her gun, without her even knowing, and she had to try to talk sense into the little thief. And then John walked up and got it in a matter of seconds? What was a thief of eight doing in here anyway?

"Is she with you?" Donovan asked demandingly. John chuckled at the comment and looked over to Parker, who was sitting on a chair spinning and giggling loudly.

"Well… I brought her along here, she's an orphan. Sherlock was taking some tests, but the supervisor disappeared, so I had to take her here with me."

John realized what he had been saying before the interruption and turned to walk to Lestrade, Sally still confused about the whole situation. Lestrade looked a bit confused too.

"That's the orphan you were talking about? You said the supervisor disappeared, but why would he do that?"

John shrugged, not really understanding everything either.

"Well, anyway, what I wanted to say is that there is no way Sherlock could have done it. Someone must have framed him or something. You can ask Parker if you want to…"

Lestrade shook his head.

"I don't need to talk to her, but Dimmock might want to, now being in charge of the case and all... Let's get this over with." Lestrade started walking towards the other DI's office, and after John got Parker out of the chair – she was having a lot of fun – he followed closely behind.

Before they got to the office, John noticed Dimmock walking from another room, quite frustrated. He glared at Lestrade and John and stopped in front of them.

"You know, I'm going to make sure he's going to be locked away for a very long time! I am absolutely done with this... freak!"

John had to hold back the urge to hit Dimmock. Not a good idea, and he felt that it would only make things worse. Lestrade took a small step forward.

"I was looking for you. We've got witnesses that will verify that Sherlock was at 221B Baker Street when the murder took place. And if you're not convinced by John's story, this young girl was there as well."

Dimmock sighed. He wanted to keep Sherlock in custody a bit longer, but he had heard Sherlock say something about a case with an orphan... He had been ranting about the 'supervisor' of the orphan for some strange reason. And now he had the orphan Sherlock was talking about... So he would have to let the 'consulting freak' go.

"Fine, I do want a written testimony from both of them before I let the suspect go."

Lestrade nodded. Fair enough, they'd get Sherlock out now anyway. Dimmock was just trying to stretch it all a bit. "I'll hand them to you when I'm done."

At that, Dimmock turned around and walked to his office, and Lestrade sighed.

"Well, better get those testimonies and get Sherlock out of here."

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><p>It took a while before the testimonies were complete. John's story was finished really quickly, but Parker at first refused to talk, and then started saying all kinds of things that only led to more questions. Apparently, she had never seen the man that said to be her supervisor before the day she was told she would go to London. He had been hired very recently, why was he even allowed to go with an orphan to the other side of the ocean? When they were finished and Lestrade had handed the testimonies to Dimmock, Sherlock was let go. He looked irritated but exited at the same time. Probably irritated by the officers and exited by the case.<p>

"I know who the killer is!" he exclaimed happily when he walked to John and Parker.

John frowned. Sherlock wouldn't have been allowed at the crime scene, not even close to it, and he had already figured it all out.

"Who?"

Sherlock grinned and looked at Parker.

"Her supervisor."

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><p><em><strong>Author note:<strong>_

_Hello lovely people! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and I'll just apologize for the tardiness. I was a bit busy with other things. Remember, I love reading what you think of the story, and if you have suggestions for what will happen next that would be really great too! Please review, it keeps me motivated!_

_Also, there will be a bit more 'Leverageness' in the following chapters as I'm going to add one of the characters in the story! Who will it be? You'll find out soon enough._


	6. Chapter 5: Mystery man

After finding out that Parker's 'supervisor' was the murderer and had meant to frame Sherlock for it, it didn't take the detective long to figure out that he wasn't working alone.

"In fact," Sherlock said at one point, pacing around and talking to nobody in particular. "He was a pawn, a disposable piece. It's no use chasing him, unless it is to extraxt information about his employer... Assuming the murderer is still alive, of course."

Considering the fact that Sherlock had been ranting for ten minutes straight and that he had to keep an eye on Parker, who was rummaging through cabinets (he should actually stop her, but no harm had been done... Yet), John had done a great job paying attention to Sherlock's story. All that Sherlock said made sense, but anyone else besides John would think it's a bit far-fetched. So they had to do a lot of research if they really wanted Sherlock to be off the hook.

"Okay, what do we do next? Lestrade won't be able to let you in on the case, since you're too involved. We have no background on this man, all we have is Parker."

Sherlock stopped in his tracks and quickly turned his head to look at the young thief. You could practically see the wheels inside the detective's head turning, and John started to think he made a mistake in saying that. Nobody knows what Sherlock is going to pull them in this time.

John didn't get time to protest, nor for preparing Parker for a couple of possibly conflicting questions, because Sherlock had already turned to walk to the thief. The detective crouched down to be at eyelevel with Parker, and John smiled at the sight. It was actually quite adorable.

"Parker, I need you to listen and answer me. I assume the supervisor never told you his real name or anything, so you'll have to think of details. People he talked to, names that passed by... If you can't think of something immediately just close your eyes and ears, that helps you focus..."

Sherlock looked expectantly at the girl in front of him, and John was really surprised at the relative gentleness the detective had used to get his question across. But Parker closed neither eyes nor ears, she just looked straight at Sherlock, seemingly a tad confused.

"Why would I have to close my eyes and ears? The man was talking to someone called 'Sterling', his boss. There was another name somewhere, but when he said that he was whispering... Oh, and they were talking about a place to meet for dinner, a restaurant in London." She grabbed the nearest piece of paper and started writing the address down. "Here."

When Parker was finished, John could only look at her with a look of amasement. Meanwhile, Sherlock was pleasently surprised, and John could swear the detective had looked proud.

"That's amazing, Parker!" John said. "How did you do that?"

Parker didn't seem to understand John's question, or why he was so impressed. "I thought everybody could do that," she answered, oblivious to the fact that this was definitely not something that everybody could do.

Sherlock took the paper on which Parker had written down the address in his hand and moved to grab his coat. John looked up, objecting.

"Hold on, Sherlock. You're planning on going to meet a murderer... On your own?"

"Of course I am, can't expect you to take Parker along or leave her behind. You said it yourself before, it's not safe."

But John wasn't going to leave it at that. He turned so that he was standing right in front of Sherlock, making sure that Parker wouldnit hear their conversation. No need in having a thief of approximately 8 years old with outstanding memory eavesdropping.

"Oh come on Sherlock," John replied in a hushed voice, careful not to speak too loudly. "Last time you went to do research on your own, you got suspected for murder!" He sighed, looking at Parker -who was currently testing how soft the couch was- before turning back to the detective.

"I don't want her to be in danger either, but I can't risk you instead. The men you'll be meeting are murderers, who knows what will happen?"

Both men were silent for a moment as they were considering what was the best option, when John had an idea.

"I know, we let Lestrade come along with us. If anything goes badly, I'll come after you myself and Greg will look after Parker for a moment." But as soon as the words escaped his mouth, it sounded like a horrible idea. "Or, wait. Never mind."

However, Sherlock had already made up his mind, and started to smirk a little.

"Could work. He's used to dealing with me and she can't be much worse... Phone Lestrade, we're going out for dinner." And with this, Sherlock left the flat. "Hurry up, John!"

John decided he'd phone Lestrade during the cabride to the restaurant, and hurriedly helped Parker get her jacket before grabbing his own and following the detective outside.

"Why are we sitting here?"

Sherlock, John and Parker had arrived at the restaurant moments before the DI entered. At Sherlock's demand, they had sat down at a table near the one Sherlock had deduced the supervisor and this 'Sterling' guy would sit. It was a square table, with the cutlery placed on two places.

"He's going to recognize us. He knows our faces, he knows all our faces."

John thought the situation was a bit... Well it was awkward at the least. Three grown men and a young girl having dinner at the same table? While Sherlock, John and Parker had been walking through the streets, many people saw them as a couple having a walk with their daughter. People really did do nothing else than talk.

"But that's why we're sitting here! Don't you get it? When he walks through the door, this table won't be visible. We all know that his boss is going to show up, so that man will have the chair that has its back to the window. He'll want to be able to see the entire area. Our killer will be sitting on the opposite side, and therefore not notice us while he's eating."

Een though it seemed a bit far-fetched, John seemed to think it was a plausible idea, so he didn't protest. And in the end, the detective had been right too, and Erik hadn't even noticed them when he sat down. Parker, John and Lestrade ate their meals, Sherlock hadn't ordered anything, and when the two men stood up to leave, the Sterling person smirked in the direction of Sherlock. John noticed, and gestured for Lestrade and Parker to leave the building. Parker was reluctant but Lestrade convinced her by promising the girl to get an ice cream.

"Did you really expect me not to recognize you? I assumed you'd be smarter than that." The man walked up to John and Sherlock. He was well-tailored and Sherlock noticed he was either from insurance or interpol... His accent said British-born, moved to America for the job.

"Not really, but it was worth a shot. Your minion didn't notice me, though." Sherlock didn't stand up from his seat, merely turning around. "Since apparently you know me, tell me who you are. And spare me a background story, I've already figured that out."

The man chuckled, and looked trough the window, where Parker was happily eating an ice cream and Lestrade, who looked like he had gone through hell, tried to see what was happening. When the man turned back around, he smirked.

"The name is Jim Sterling."


End file.
